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The “March 1st, I Quit!” Challenge

By Gina Gillespie

Capt Usher points to a picture of his former self smoking a cigarette during basic training. Capt Usher points to a picture of his former self smoking a cigarette during basic training.

The “March 1st, I Quit!” challenge is currently underway, and the smokers taking control of their health don’t have to face the challenge alone. From the CFPSA Finance and Informatics Division building a registration website, to a network of doctors, dentists, nurses, Medical Assistants, PSP Managers, Fitness & Sports Directors, Mess Managers and Health Services groups forces wide, helping DND employees stop smoking is a team effort.

There’s even some great prizes to be won, provided by CANEX and SISIP Financial Services, partners of the “March 1st, I Quit” challenge. These include five gift certificates of $1,000, 80 MP3-CD players, and 20 digital cameras.

“No matter how you look at it, it’s truly a win-win situation for all participants,” says Wayne Lee, Director of Human Performance and Health Promotion. “We know for some people the prize incentives may be enough to get them involved. And the more people who do quit, the more winners we have - whether or not they get prizes.”

The challenge targets smokers who are already motivated to quit but haven’t yet set a date. Last year, 1,123 smokers took up the challenge, along with 2,246 supporters. A year later, DCOS Force Health Protection estimates that 25 per cent of challenge participants remain smoke-free.

Capt Lance Usher is one of those people. He kicked his 28-year, pack-a-day habit cold turkey, and lost weight in the process. “I didn’t have any quit smoking aids except for pneumonia,” he says. “I didn’t even have withdrawal symptoms, I was too sick.”

Since quitting, he’s feeling great, and is experiencing lower blood pressure and a resting pulse in the mid-’50s.

Donald Dery, head of Tobacco Use Reduction Program for DCOS Force Health Protection, says three factors increase the success rate of any smoking cessation program:

  1. The use of smoking cessation medication
  2. Social support
  3. Being trained on problem solving, and making a plan to overcome anticipated obstacles. The CF Butt Out Program provides this training.

“If you stop smoking, it’s the best single action you can take to prevent disease and improve your health,” says Dery.

Visit www.cfpsa.com/en/psp/health for full details.

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